The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

The Ten Thousand Doors of January

by Alix E. Harrow

***Shortlisted for the Hugo Award for Best Novel***

'A gorgeous, aching love letter to stories, storytellers and the doors they lead us through . . . absolutely enchanting' Christina Henry, bestselling author of Alice

EVERY STORY OPENS A DOOR

In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored and utterly out of place.

But her quiet existence is shattered when she stumbles across a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page reveals more impossible truths about the world, and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

'One of the most unique works of fiction I've ever read' Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author

'A gorgeously written story of love and longing, of what it means to lose your place in the world and then have the courage to find it again' Kat Howard, author of An Unkindness of Magicians

'Devastatingly good, a sharp, delicate nested tale of worlds within worlds, stories within stories, and the realm-cracking power of words' Melissa Albert, author of The Hazel Wood

'The Ten Thousand Doors of January healed hurts I didn't even know I had. An unbearably beautiful story about growing up, and everything we fight to keep along the way' Amal El-Mohtar, Hugo Award-winning author

Reviewed by Joséphine on

3 of 5 stars

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Actual rating: 2.5 stars

Initial thoughts: If you're a fan of The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, I imagine you'll love The Ten Thousand Doors of January as well. They're both beautifully written books featuring stories that are intergenerationally intertwined with parallels between mothers and daughters. Plot-wise though, I hoped to get more out of it than a mostly "on the run" book. Will ten thousand doors, I thought we'd experience more of these alternative worlds but I guess with many of them closed, that's the mystery that engulfed precisely that which could've enchanted me more.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 16 November, 2019: Finished reading
  • 16 November, 2019: Reviewed